Transcendence
by Arella1
Summary: As Rose falls, something completely unexpected happens to save her. Jackie's fears may be a little too accurate this time. Is this a gift or final tragedy?


The Doctor could see Timelines if he cared to look. If he really extended himself, he could manipulate Time a bit for brief moments. It wasn't relative to him; it was just another sense-feeling Time and its passing. But, as he griped the magna clamp and saw Rose's fingers slip, Time seemed to stutter around him. Timelines snapped and frayed while she screamed for him, falling so far away. He was paralyzed in horror and pain as Time bled and the knowledge that _he couldn't save her_ broke him. Her name ripped from his throat, but it was a less than impotent action.

That was all it took for her to understand. There was no last minute rescue coming. Their luck had run out and her life was the price of saving her world. Acceptance settled in her eyes and that was unacceptable to the Doctor. Even his brilliance and vast knowledge failed him when he needed them most. He had no way of stopping this and was forced to watch as his beautiful pink and yellow girl fell into Hell.

The universe wasn't kind. It takes and takes and leaves desolation as a bitter consolation. It reduces good people to nothing but heartache and memories with hope like ash in their mouths. But, despite all this, the universe _was_ fair. And sometimes-just sometimes-it gave back in impossible, mad ways. A Deity the last Time Lord didn't even acknowledge took pity on him. Stretching out His hand, He touched the TARDIS just enough to give her the means to aide her thief.

For He was just, and today-today He was _merciful_.

The TARDIS' song rose like a crescendo and rushed to protect her wolf.

The Doctor saw and heard none of this. His vision was filled with Rose's outstretched hand and the apology on her lips. Just as she reached the threshold of the Void, her body exploded in a cloud of golden particles. Gasping in shock, the Time Lord watched as the cloud rushed toward him, away from the closing walls between the universes.

It paused in front of him and formed a grainy picture of a confused and flabbergasted Rose.

'_Doctor?_'She asked, her voice chiming in a way that meant she'd spoken directly into his mind. '_I think the TARDIS is pulling me.'_

Then, the cloud disappeared, leaving him utterly bewildered.

The Doctor couldn't get to his ship quickly enough. Half-hysterical thoughts raced through his head leaving him wondering if he'd gone mad. Rose had saved the world and fallen. She'd exploded into huon particles before reaching the Void.

Right?

He hadn't made that last bit up-he couldn't have. If Rose was dead, he didn't know what he do with himself. So, he clung to that mad, completely illogical memory like his world depended upon it.

Bursting into the console room, he scanned the room wildly. "Rose?"

The monitor switched on and rotated toward him. He was struck dumb when Rose's face smiled shakily from it.

"Well, this is new," she joked, pushing her hair behind her ear.

Stumbling forward, he griped the screen with both hands. "What? What's going on? Where are you?"

"Right now, I'm in the Heart of the TARDIS," she said as if she could hardly believe it herself. "My physical body is gone," and her voice hitched as tears spilled down her face, "but my consciousness is alive. I'm huon particles and energy now. It's why I can talk to you like this. I'm manipulating the TARDIS' circuits."

The utter astonishment slacking his face had her small smile stretching into something more real.

"But, that's impossible!" he sputtered, pulling at his hair and frantically processing the information.

Giggling, she shook her head. "You've _got_ to stop saying that, Doctor." Sobering, she met his eyes. "The TARDIS is sort of downloading information into me. Since I'm no longer…corporeal…I can understand it. My mind is big enough now. She's telling me that my stint as Bad Wolf left me with huon particles inside. She was able to change me just enough when we were joined to keep them dormant and not killing me. When I fell, she received a surge of power strong enough for her to trigger those particles. As soon as that happened, she cocooned my consciousness and pulled me to her while bonding the particles to me."

"What?" he breathed, barely able to hope to believe.

Her smile chased away the last of his fear. "I reckon God or the universe figured you'd had enough taken from you. Doctor, this isn't what I'd imagined, but-don't you see?" She was fairly glowing with happiness. "Our forevers are the same, now. I won't age. Even if I'm not-not _real_, I'm still here."

Overcome, he flopped back into the jump seat and laughed a disbelieving, wondering laugh. Things like this never happened to him. Out of what was about to be one of the great tragedies of his lives came joy beyond belief. He wasn't alone and now he'd never _be_ alone.

"Oh, Rose Tyler, you impossible thing! And, what do you mean 'not real'? You're plenty real, just different now. Can you materialize in the particle cloud again?"

Calculating that, she shrugged. "For a bit, probably. It takes a lot of energy to keep me together like that. I don't know that I'd feel comfortable doing it anywhere outside the TARDIS."

Leaning forward, he rubbed his chin in thought. As his body came off its adrenaline high, he began to calm. This new turn in their lives was fascinating and he was determined to keep Rose happy in what had happened. She could very easily become depressed if she began to feel like the TARDIS was a prison.

"You can manipulate circuits and electricity. That means that you can theoretically jump into anything electronic," he mused, leaping up to rummage through his pockets and the bits of spare technology under the console. "If I can put together a wrist band with an electric screen, you could leave the TARDIS when I do!"

Tinkling laugher filled the room as the monitor followed him. "I think I'll be able to help more now, even without a body. I'm getting smarter by the minute."

Beaming, he began tinkering with the parts he'd assembled. "You're probably able to connect psychically now, too. The TARDIS does something similar when she translates and you were doing it when you flew past me."

"We're going to head into the Vortex while you finish that," she told him. "I imagine Torchwood's heading this way."

Grunting his approval, he fitted the tiny screen on the contraption and sealed it with his sonic. When what she'd said sunk in, he blinked in surprise and then swung his eyes up to meet her curious gaze.

"You can operate the TARDIS?" he asked incredulously.

She shrugged. "It's more that she lets me control her than anything. I just ask, really."

Shaking his head, he decided to come back to that later. "Well, here we are-a Worn Itinerant Frequency Emitter. It'll let you tap into any wavelengths."

Strapping it on his wrist, he flexed his arm a few times to get used to the gadget that looked like a large digital watch. Rose covered her mouth with her hand to hide her grin.

"A WIFE?" she asked innocently, making his eyes widen and jerk to hers.

"What?" he squeaked.

Her hand made a motion to indicate the new gadget. "Worn Itinerant Frequency Emitter-WIFE."

He made a gurgling noise in the back of his throat before manfully deciding to face this as a Time Lord: he change the subject and pretended he hadn't heard her.

"Try to make an arc of electricity just enough to jump from the console to the…the WIFE," he stuttered over the last word.

Letting him go for the moment, Rose sorted through her newfound knowledge until she was certain of the amount of force needed to jump between the devices. Steadying herself, she crossed her fingers and did it.

There was a small arc of power and the console monitor went blank. When the Time Lord raised his arm, he was pleased to see Rose grinning at him.

"Very impressive," he crowed and an idea formed in his mind. "Rose, I can try to find a way to reconstruct your body. This may be just temporary."

Her face turned melancholy as she shook her head. "No, Doctor. I remember what happened to Chip. Any body you construct would fail soon after. I don't want that kind of life." Meeting his apologetic gaze, she admitted wistfully, "Though, I do wish I could touch you. My hand feels empty."

Letting her jump into the console, he studied her thoughtfully. "Did the TARDIS give you information on Gallifrey and the Time Lords?"

Her smile was mischievous when she answered. "Oh, yes, and you've been lying about your age," she sing-songed.

Huffing, he waved that off impatiently. "After a while, what's the point? Earth years are vastly different than Gallifrey's anyways. What I'm getting at, you rude bit of wavelength, is that we are a telepathic race."

Rose blinked before her enhanced mind began connecting the dots with the wealth of information available to her now. Time Lords were telepathic and true intimacy to them was on a mental level. She wondered if he was so tactile with people because he was trying to somehow find that connection again. Touch would be the only way a non-telepath would understand and it was such a paltry imitation of it. Gallifreyan customs and society poured into her, providing an understanding of her friend she would never have been able to have had this not happened to her.

"Oh," she whispered, wide-eyed at him.

Shifting to shove his hands in his pockets, he shrugged and blushed a bit. "You can do it by expending a good bit of energy, but if we bond, it would be so much easier."

Emotion overwhelmed her when she comprehended his offer. "A marriage bond?"

His eyes were soft when he met hers and nodded. "Course. If you're willing." He hesitated a bit and then plowed on. "My mind's a dark place, though, Rose. I've seen too much of the worst not to have been touched by it."

Tears slid down her image's cheeks. "I…you're not offering out of some kind of guilt trip about what's happened are you?"

She hated herself for asking that, but she had to know.

Brows furrowed, he took on a rather offended expression. "Rose Tyler, I just ask you to marry me and you think I did it out of _guilt_?"

Lips quirking at his righteous indignation, she wiped her cheeks. "Well, then, yeah. Yeah, that'd be wonderful, Doctor. Even with all this new knowledge and understanding, I've still been scared. You and the TARDIS are all I have left; I don't even have _me_ anymore." Meeting his gave earnestly, she said, "And, you have to know I love you."

Tenderness overtook his features while he moved to stand as close to the console as possible. "I nearly lost you today, precious girl. I was _right there_ and I was helpless to stop you falling. All of Time and Space at my disposal and I couldn't save one tiny human who has the fate of the universe in her hands." He was deadly serious when he continued. "Because, a mad Time Lord-the _last_ Time Lord with no one to stop him-would have destroyed whole universes in his rage. His pain would have ripped apart worlds so effortlessly, Rose. Time Lord Victorious with everything at his feet and holes in his chest where his hearts once were."

"I'm not leaving you," she managed on a ragged whisper, wanting so much to hold him and chase the shadows from his too old eyes. "No matter what you've done or seen or _not_ done-I'm staying right here: with you."

Closing his eyes, he stepped to the side. "Then try to make your cloud."

Clearing her mind, Rose gave a jerky nod and flowed out of the Heart of the TARDIS. When her golden likeness hovered before him once more, he opened his eyes and smiled.

"Find the wavelength you used before to talk to me," he instructed.

Maybe he was making a mistake by rushing into this with her. The image of her falling into Hell was burned into the back of his eyelids, though. He'd been telling the truth when he said he'd lose what little sanity he had left if she hadn't been saved. There was no one that could possibly hope to stop him, either, if he'd become that vengeful god he so often touched. So, he was binding her to him so tightly that she'd _never_ escape him. Their Timelines would be wound together so much they would be one. She was his light and he _refused_ to let her go.

When he felt her tentatively open the channel, he latched onto her and fiercely strengthened the tenuous link. A gasp escaped her mind as she hesitantly did the same, following his example. Their Timelines did twist together and the link deepened into a permanent bond until they could share every part of themselves with the other.

'_I choose you,'_ her mind whispered, and then she sang his true name to him.

A shuddering breath left him in a whoosh. '_And, I choose you, Rose Marion Tyler, keeper of my name forever.'_

The bond solidified between them just as Rose's form flickered and disappeared back into the TARDIS. The Doctor coughed and collapsed to the floor. A golden shimmer in his mind reached to stroke specific neural receptors. He suddenly felt as though she'd slid her hand into his.

Gleefully, he returned the favor and reveled in the magnificent feeling of her mind. "Oh, you impossible thing," he laughed, pulling himself up. "We are going to be brilliant!"

Her eyes twinkled on the screen as she hugged herself and agreed. She stilled when something tugged on her senses.

"Uh, Doctor? We may have a problem."

Because, of course, they couldn't have one day to rest and recuperate while exploring this new adventure they'd just chosen.

"What?" he asked, dancing around the console.

"What?" came the reply, albeit in a voice entirely not Rose's.

Leaning around the console, he was stunned to see a woman standing there seemingly as surprised as he.

"What!"

"She just appeared in a flash of gold," Rose answered. "Very familiar gold, Doctor."

The woman frowned and glared at him. "Who are you? And who's that talking and where are we?!"

"I'm the Doctor and that's Rose. How did you get in here?"

"Obviously you kidnapped me!" her surprise over, anger was descending rapidly. "Who put you up to this? Nerys?"

"Who's Nerys?" he asked, bewildered about the entire situation.

"Your best friend!" she exclaimed.

Rose answered at the same time. "Doctor, look at these readings."

Keeping a wary eye on the strange ginger, he slid around to look at what Rose had found. When he did, his brows shot up in shock.

"Oh, well that's not good."

"Understatement much? I can remove them from her, but that still won't tell us who did this to her-or why," the blonde mused.

"Oi! _She's_ right here! What are you talking about? I was halfway down the aisle when you beamed me up!"

The Doctor had never met someone so prone to speaking entirely in exclamations. The woman stomped over until she could see the screen. Rose smiled at her reassuringly as a beam of light hit the bride.

"Accessing facial recognition files. Twenty first century Chiswick. Donna Noble, temp for HC Clements-a company owned by…you guessed it…Torchwood." Rose whooped and fist pumped. "How's that for some Spock?"

The Doctor rolled his eyes and turned to a steaming Donna. He made a mental note to find out when exactly the TARDIS had acquired facial recognition hardware. Before he could open his mouth to say anything further, Donna slapped him.

"Get me to the church!" she shrieked and stormed over to the doors. She threw them open, but her parting tirade was cut off when she saw where they were.

"What?"

"You're in the TARDIS," Rose told her. "It's a ship currently in orbit around the Earth. You're here because someone plied you with enough of a certain element that you were pulled here when we drifted passed. I can extract the element and we can get you to the church for your wedding. Then, the Doctor'll find out why you were essentially drugged in the first place."

The Time Lord arched a brow at her explanation, but wisely decided not to comment. Rubbing his cheek, he wrinkled his nose. What was it with human women slapping him? First Jackie and now this woman he'd never laid eyes on.

Donna carefully shut the door and faced them. "Someone slipped me something?"

Rose nodded while Donna slowly moved to the console.

"Making me hallucinate is what it is."

"Just put your hand here," the Doctor told her. "Don't be scared when Rose touches you, alright?"

Donna's brows shot up. "Scared? Why would I be scared?"

Rose's face tightened a bit, but she didn't answer. Instead, a glowing hand stretched from the console to clasp the astonished bride's. Donna's eyes widened when her whole body lit up and then the glow started draining from her into the glowing hand. As it did, she began to feel better than she had in months. When the last glowing particle left her, she gaped and the hand disappeared.

Staggering back, she clutched her hand to herself and looked wildly between the screen and the Doctor. "So, it's all out? I can go now?"

Rose beamed. "Yep. Where is the wedding?"

Seconds later, they appeared outside a large church. Donna ran to it and threw open the doors.

Meanwhile, the Doctor was eyeing Rose. "That was an awful lot of huon bubbling in her system. With her wedding, she would have been a veritable pressure cooker."

"And someone knew it," she finished. "According to public records, Donna was engaged to the Human Resources director at HC Clements." The screen flickered to show the fiancé. "I smell a rat, Doctor."

"HC Clements?"

"HC Clements," she agreed.

They'd not been given a moment to recover and explore their new relationship, much less Rose's new existence. That was their life, though, and neither of them would have it any other way. Mentally reaching for each other, they grinned and prepared to save the world one more time.


End file.
